Jimmy P

Sorry about that. I couldn't get the editor to write in lower case, but tried to answer the question; I wasn't meaning to be rude. Thanks, I take the point.

THE AIRMARINE WIND GENERATOR WE HAD NEEDED A FIVE TO PRODUCE A SERIOUS AMOUNT OF AMPS >20 - IN LEVKAS ONE DAY IT BLEW 55 KNOTS AND BURNT OUT THE REGULATOR/AUTO BRAKE. WE HAD LEFT IT 'ON' WHEN WE WENT ASHORE TO WATCH THE GP AND MAN U. A PHENOMENON ARRIVED AND DID IT'S THING. WIND GENNIES ONLY PRODUCE IN A BLOW, SOLAR PANELS ARE THE ANSWER IN THE SUNNY MED. TWO 75W PANELS WORKED FINE (BUT WE HAD NO TELE AT SEA). IF HAVE GREAT INTEREST IN OUR VOYAGES, EMAIL ME AND I'LL SEND YOU THE EARLY ONES OF 2001.

Thanks for that, we have a voltmeter and I have a clamp (clip-on) meter reads 0-200A DC as well as 600A AC but not where I want it. I'll look at the Lightning Boy offer.

The Sky+ box label says 240V 0.5A so at 12V read 240/12x0.5 = 10A x 4 hours say, = 40Ah. I think. We will have to pull the plugs when travelling. Just thought to remove the Sky box except for sport, that'll save some more.

I lived on a boat in the Med and more for 9 years and know to clean my dentures under trickling water, I had an Adverc on the yacht, two solar panels and a wind generator charging two 110A domestics; it wasn't until I got the second solar panel that we were in energy excess, at anchor for as long as we wanted (unless we had a force 6+ blowing). But you are right, I'm struggling with the system I have inherited - seems the previous owner thought 8 batts were needed and the replacement alternator is an enigma too. The prop was bent when I bought the boat but I was conned by the fact that the tiller was loose on the trial and was tightened up on transfer. Still my fault, I do make mistakes. Thanks for the helpful thoughts. Jimmy. Sorry, I forgot about the manouverability question, the boat handles ok, there is a degree of vibration (jitter) on the tiller. We have a bow thruster which helps when necessary. I try to go easy with bent prop (it's only a 20mm wide trailing edge of one blade at about 20 degrees and was noticed when clearing a double bed sheet from the prop.

Thanks Dor, It looks like 'she' will have to stop watching the tele until we get the genny on or connect to a mains supply. But, Corrie must prevail or divorce may ensue. We start cruising soon and I still have the prop problem. A travel power set-up has crossed my mind, but I haven't gone for the option due to the high cost of the system. The batteries have been stored ashore and charged a couple of times over winter. We have a sterling 3kW inverter installed and this will be online from weekend, so I expect the batteries to have as much charge as they can hold before we set off on 1st May. I'll talk to Adverc about commoning the 80A and 110A alternators together, that may assist? The training site was useful, I'll keep that in mind for other things as well. I'll look into the ammeter, the clip-on I have means lifting the deck and unsafe working when underway. Jimmy

It was not at cruising revs (1000-1300max) but around 1800 revs in neutral, this would give 3200 revs on the alternator, much nearer the 4000 mentioned by the Adverc man. Further to the subject of consumption, I have a better idea now - best estimate is TV = 50Ah, Sky Box = 40Ah, Fridge Freezer = 34Ah (50% cycle) and ancilliaries, pump, lights, etc = 10Ah. Total = 168Ah. Taking notes then, are we saying that four extra batteries will never be advisable, as 440Ah will provide our needs although on a deep discharge, so all I need is an improved charging system? I am also dogged with a bent prop blade, and need a replacement/repair urgently. The difficulty here is that I have not had time or opportunity to identify the type although from a previous post on here (thanks for that, too guys), it looks like it's a Vetus 19 x 15, what with the shaft size of 35mm and the look of the stern gland. I am thinking that a smaller prop would allow more revs and easier manouverabilty (though the 19 x15 is OEM) but the bent blade could be loading the engine more heavily, thus reducing revs. Thanks again, Jimmy

The rain stopped for a few hours today and I measured the pulleys. Eng = 145mm and Alt = 82mm. Using Brians formula I have 145/82x1200revs = 2123revs on the alternator. I have a problem then, he says 4000! To complicate things, while I was down there, I discovered that the alternator has been replaced with a rewound jobby (after checking with the invoice and supplier); disappointment rules. This weekend, weather permitting, I'll run the engine and do the actual checks. Cheers Jimmy I pick up 4 more batteries next week.

Thanks for the discussion everyone. Today I rang Brian at Adverc and he suggests that the Prestolite 110A alternator should be running at around 4000rpm for full output; I should measure the two pulley diameters and use the ratio and cruising speed to calculate the actual alternator revs. This would give an indication of whether to change the pulley (and they could supply one @ ~ £35), then we can talk about the Adverc and the advantages it gives with a full call possible on the alternator at cruising revs. I take the point about chewing the belt in 'v' grooves - it happened on our SV with the Adverc. We are on the L&L and have loads to do before we move off at the month end. It has been raining here recently, but I may get a chance to measure the pulleys in the next day or two, weather permitting. No hosepipe bans here. The previous owner must have gone through this dilemma but just increased the battery bank to eight; from what I hear from you, it looks like I'm going to have to get another four - the set-up is ready for them. Thanks again, Jimmy

Difficult one to answer. This boat is new to me, we have only had a four week cruise and that was filled with familiarisation. The fridge-freezer is the main culprit and the load will vary with use, but from my quick Googling, it looks like 68 Ah per day and the telesystem is say, 100 Ah per day and the Sky box is 50 Ah per day, we only have 218 Ah per day. Now, I think a battery is considered discharged at 50% of it's capacity which would put this as being somewhere in that ballpark, along with the lights and pump etc, but last year there were 8 batteries on board. The thing is, we couldn't recharge the system sufficiently from motoring for over four hours. So, which is best, Adverc or pulley change? Thank you.

Thanks for the speedy reply. I have 'clipped' the main battery lead last year and found nothing of the order of 100's of amps. I wasn't too impressed with the rate at the time, and the batteries were new too! I've just checked the manual, says it's a 'Prestolite' alternator. I had an Adverc on our 11m yacht and liked it, although it 'chewed up' the belt somewhat, we had much better charging. I'll try to run the engine on Friday and check it out again then, but the batteries are now charged so I won't get a true rate. You mention having an Adverc yourself, did you too have to strip it down to solder the 'fool it' wire in? Do you feel the unit is providing the extra charge? Regards, Jimmy

I feel that my Isuzu 70 fitted with a 110A alternator is undercharging the four 110A domestic batteries; four hours of motoring does not provide sufficient charge for more than a days use without having to use the generator. We do draw a heavy load with the inverter-driven 240V fridge-freezer and a TV/Sat system - otherwise just the standard running stuff, pumps, lights etc. Can anyone assist me in the choice of fitting an Adverc charge controller or changing the size of the pulley on the alternator? Our boat is a 60ft widebeam and cruises at around 1000-1200 revs, the max revs of the engine is said to be 2600 revs. A possible thingy-in-the-woodpile is that one of the prop blades has a bent trailing edge causing vibration on the helm (this is a priority job as soon as I can find a convenient slip). Where can I source a smaller diameter pulley? Can anyone please advise on the best solution? Jimmy

Interesting. If the shaft does not need to be disconnected, how does the new lipseal get onto shaft? Or have I missed something?

Thanks again guys. Oundle is out, but we are looking at other possibilties - all info is useful, even the negative. I don't know the mass of our boat, but the guy who sold it to us said '...about 24 tonnes'. The cranes I noticed at Earith are both tracked types and there is not much in the way of hardstanding (but enough to load onto a truck), this is from the Google Earth view. There was a large craft on the hard at the time of the photo. We won't be able to take advantage of the new link (if and when) as from Earith up, it's for <10' 6" beam only. Thanks to this thread, I'm getting a much better feel for things; I hope our originator is finding it useful too (billi?).

No Sir. I am serious about this. I have a widebeam 60 x 12, it is in the rainy, windy corridor of the L&L. We got it last August, sailed to the top lock of the Wigan flight and the mate said 'No further, my back is killing me (metaphorically as it turned out) due to the stiffness of the lock gates, she couldn't move many of them and the pair of us struggled at other times. So the decision was not to sell the boat, but to move south for better used and maintained navigations. I am an ex seaman of some thousands of miles and have an inkling or two about boats, but I am ignorant of how to get from the L&L to the GU where we can start to explore more waters. If you have some advice to give, it would be appreciated. Which part do you think is a wind-up, anyway? Jimmy

Thanks again Roger, I'll add the info to the file. I am now getting confused with the rivers! This http://www.canals.com/canaldata.htm shows the middle level (20 foot river - whatever that is) as 72ft x 14ft, but I dunno for real. I note that you are on the Cam, are there moorings available there and is it ok for the lift-out / proximity to the GU?

Thanks Ditchcrawler, I'll see if it's in the library. Are there unsuccessful attempts (sinkings, loss of life etc)? Jimmy

Thanks, Roger. The best laid plans of mice and sailors.... We have been there many times. I thought it worth asking the question of those who know the waters; the Irish Sea (and Med for that matter in places) is shallow and suffers short, steep seas. I think I'll be OK with the trip across the Wash, but am leaning (again) to the Trent, lifting out at some convenient point to cart her to Braunston, but don't yet know about facilities there. I seem to be working harder on this than at college (but that was some time ago). Thanks again, Jimmy.

Thank you. I knew I could not get the whole way up the Nene, possibly to a place called Earith?, so asked if Oundle Marina had a spot for winter and a lift-out to shift us to the GU. The marina replied that we would not get through the marina cut; this confused me, making me wonder about the 'cut' - I assume it is the entrance to the marina and not the canal cut in general. I am still researching and soaking everyones info, much appreciated. Jimmy

Thanks very much, David - It's appreciated.

I have been 'wigging' into this thread with interest. We have acquired a 60 x 12 widebeam and are moored on the L&L; we are new to the canals, having finished a good stint of living aboard at sea on an 11m yacht. We've done the Midi (most of it) and returned to the UK via the French canals. We (me and the No 1, under her orders) wish to move to the southern system (mainly to avoid the weather). The serious question I have (it is relevant to the thread) where do we lift out and re-launch in the Grand Union? Can anyone recommend cranage/haulage companies for the job? What sort of costs are involved? If we don't make it all the way this year, can anyone recommend a winter mooring in readiness (and proximity) for the lift? Though I would not think of sailing from the Wash to Gt Yarmouth in a narrowboat, I would have thought a widebeam (though flat bottomed) would be stable enough for a coastal trip in fair weather (75 miles - 15 hours) - advice would be appreciated esp from boaters who've done it. (No offence meant). Thanks, Jimmy.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a CC-er? A special licence? Is there a licence to allow mooring anywhere for a decent period? We will be travelling from Skipton to the Grand Union hopefully this year, but do not know where we will have to stop for winter. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, I am new to the canals, but have 9years of living aboard a seaboat. Have a look at Nigel Calders publications, they are for seafarers but explain much of the basics and more - covers lots of stuff. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0713672269/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328976778&sr=8-1